I'm Not an Idiot...

Businesses do lots of tricky things to get you to buy more of their products! Buy one get one half off... Sounds like a good deal, unless you only really wanted to buy one, because now you are stuck buying a second thing because "It was half off, I saved money!" Or buy 3 get 3 free, oh Bath and Body Works! You know I only need one thing of new lotion, but buy 3 get 3 free sounds like SUCH an amazing deal, that I think I will just end up spending almost $40 today, when all I wanted was a $9 lotion... How did they get me to do that?!?!?! Or when you go to Aero and you see the shirts marked for $20, but they are on sale for $15! Really the shirt costs $15, they just say it costs $20 and tell you its on sale so you think you are getting a good deal.

Well, I'm not an idiot (see title of post). I don't fall for these simple tricks, because I took Economics! I know how things work, and I'm all for tricking the system!

Today I had an appointment to get my hair done. A cut and color, costs the same as it always does. But then my stylist tells me that there is a promotion, and with any coloring, you get a free tan! "Would you like to get the free tan," my nice stylist says, her agenda hidden under the fake facade of her nice cosmetologist ways. "Sure, why not!" Free is free! I don't care what my dad said about no such thing as a free lunch, these kind people were giving me a free tan, and I was taking it! I mean, I never would purposely spend money on giving myself skin cancer, but if they want to give it to me for free, and wrap it up in a nice tan package, then I'm all for it! You see they give people a free tan thinking the person will want more, and come in and pay for them! HA, I'm smarter than you guys, I will just take this one tan and leave! Hence the tricking their system, and not being an idiot!

She takes me into the room and explains to me how to use it. As stated above, I'm not an idiot!!! I know how to work a tanning bed! Its not my first rodeo here people! (This will have been my 3rd!) I ask how much time it is set to, and she tells me 15... Well usually I only go 12, and as I am having the internal argument if I should go the whole 15, she is about to leave, so I quickly ask her if she can set it to 12 minutes, and she does. So here I am, lying in the tanning booth, feeling pretty good about my free lunch tan, oh and my new hair cut, and before I know it the time is up! I'm super sad getting out, because I actually really do enjoy lying in the bed! I feel all warm inside, it reminds me of being in Arizona. As I'm heading out the door, I am feeling super great about my whole experience at the salon.

I call up my dear friend Tamazine and tell her I am ready to get my Friday night on!!! She comes over shortly after that call and tells me I look a little red. I explained to her about the free tan, and we go about our evening. Part of our evening included a movie, and as we watched it, all thought of my red skin faded away. But the minute I stand up and walk out of the theater, I feel my skin sting a little. As I get home and change into my pajamas, I see the extent of my free tan. YIKES! As my roommate put it, I got way more color in a 12 minute booth than I did 6 days in California! And by more color, she means the color red of course!

I sting everywhere. My thighs hurt. My back stings. I even have a line on my neck that got more color than the rest (not sure why but I think it has to do with my double chin covering up the other part of my neck.) Anyway, as I brushed my teeth today, I thought to myself why on earth I even took the tan! Never again will I go tanning, even if in the moment it felt great. Even if it was free. Even if someone held me at gunpoint and told me to go tan. (K, I probably would if that last one was the case, but thats a very extreme case and I'm hoping it won't ever happen!)

I guess the point of this blog was to tell you, that I'm an idiot. An idiot... with very red skin, and probable skin cancer.

And now I close with the words of my dear sweet and naive little sister, "Melanoma doesn't kill people!!!!"